New Mal-X 2 PR Build - Need Help

[Kevin Haskins]

altahometheatre wrote:

I have finally finished the Mal-X sub. I can say it has been amazing addition and filled the room with lots of powerful bass. I will post some final pictures later.

I have watched a few movies with spectacular results (ie Batman Returns & Master and Commander on bluray). Today I thought I would throw in War of the Worlds (DVD). The beginning scenes were great (lighting / pod emerging). I watched the clipping light (EP4000) to make sure no issues. I also set sound meter to catch maximum sound pressure (109 db). All was going great until the scene when pod first begins shooting. The sub made some sort of odd sound, like maybe at end of excursion???? Not sure what it was but sounded more mechanical than sound that should have been from movie. The sound lasts a few seconds and will occur at couple of times during that scenes when everyone is running away and the pod is shooting up the city. The subwoofer is moving in and out, but does not appear to be anything crazy like the videos that Kevin has put up.

Thinking that this might harm the sub, I started playing with SMS to see if I could change something to stop the sound. I raised the filter, changed the slope, used a flat curve, but nothing except lowering the volume on sms would remove the noise.

I have a couple of questions:
1) Although I did terrible job of attempting to describe this sound, is it maybe normal at this point in movie?
2) Is this damaging to sub?

I played Batman/Master at similar levels of volume and did not have any issues. I would hate to lower volume on sub just because of this one movie.

Thanks
Darryl

You may be clipping the amp, or reaching the limits of the sub. It is hard to give you an answer based upon the content of a movie.

To test the driver, you should pull it and run it in free air with a simple sine wave (burn one to a CDR off the net). That will show you if you have a mechanical problem related to the driver. If it runs fine in free-air, you don't have a problem with it in the box and the most likely candidate is the amp clipping.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

[Ricci]

That scene where the pod starts using the laser blasts is very loud 25-30hz centered bass, which if I'm not mistaken would be where your maximum excursion point above tune would be.

[Kevin Haskins]

Ricci wrote:

That scene where the pod starts using the laser blasts is very loud 25-30hz centered bass, which if I'm not mistaken would be where your maximum excursion point above tune would be.

Yea... that would be the maximum. He could be hitting the voltage rails and clipping it or hitting the limits of the driver. Hard to know from this end.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

[altahometheatre]

Ricci wrote:

That scene where the pod starts using the laser blasts is very loud 25-30hz centered bass, which if I'm not mistaken would be where your maximum excursion point above tune would be.

This sounds exactly like the spot. I also raised the filter to 25hz and it did not change anything which would agree with your assessment. If this is maximum excursion point, is there anything I can do? If it hits this point is it damaging to the sub?

I have not pulled the sub out as it would be a lot of work. I think the sub is fine as I have not noticed that odd sound during any other movies. At that scene I do get the "banging sound" even at lower volumes (approx 90db). I did not think the amp was clipping because the clipping light did not come on - but maybe the clipping light is not perfect. I have the amp volume at 19 which is less than 1/2 volume (approx 10 oclock). I have the SMS-1 volume at 27.

Kevin, I was wondering the difference between testing in or out of the box with the sine wave? I will try a sine wave with the sub inside the box tonight. If you think its important to test outside, then I can pull it. When testing with the sine wave, is the volume level important?

Thanks
Darryl

[altahometheatre]

Kevin Haskins wrote:

Yea... that would be the maximum. He could be hitting the voltage rails and clipping it or hitting the limits of the driver. Hard to know from this end.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

Kevin, not sure what that all means - but it does not sound good. Is it just too loud? Is the only solution to turn it down. When I turn the sub down, other scenes lose most of their kick.

Darryl

[altahometheatre]

Kevin

I listened to the sub inside of the box (using REW) and when I was calibrating the mic I noticed a faint clicking sound. I took the sub out of the box and listened to it free air. There is definitely a clicking the is very noticeable when played even at low volumes. As the volume increases, then the clicking gets louder.

The sound appears to be something loose inside of the yellow webing where it connects to the cone. If I push down slightly on the web, then the clicking goes away. There is nothing that looks wrong or out of place.

I have a video of the sound if you want me to email to you.

What do you think?

Regards
Darryl

[altahometheatre]

Kevin,

I was searching around and came across the thread by NateTTU. The clanking from his video is very similar to what I heard when watching the movie. The sound I now hear at low volumes is not the loud clank but more like something is loose inside.

I dont have a cover on the sub so I could see it when it started clanking, the excursion was no where near what NateTTU had in his video. It did appear to be pulling more at the top as opposed to evenly all around.

Darryl

[Kevin Haskins]

altahometheatre wrote:

Kevin,

I was searching around and came across the thread by NateTTU. The clanking from his video is very similar to what I heard when watching the movie. The sound I now hear at low volumes is not the loud clank but more like something is loose inside.

I dont have a cover on the sub so I could see it when it started clanking, the excursion was no where near what NateTTU had in his video. It did appear to be pulling more at the top as opposed to evenly all around.

Darryl

I'd check everything first but send it back and I'll warranty it if it is the driver.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

[altahometheatre]

Kevin,

Not sure what you mean. Do you want me to check anything else? Do you want to see/hear the video first?

The reasons I ask is that it will be expensive to send back as I live in Canada. Are there any special instructions that I need to know in order to send back?

Thanks for looking into this
Darryl

[Kevin Haskins]

altahometheatre wrote:

Kevin,

Not sure what you mean. Do you want me to check anything else? Do you want to see/hear the video first?

The reasons I ask is that it will be expensive to send back as I live in Canada. Are there any special instructions that I need to know in order to send back?

Thanks for looking into this
Darryl

The videos don't tell me much because it is usually hard to tell what is going on from a video. It is obvious if you have a driver problem though when you play a sine wave through it in free air. You have to support it so that the pole vent is unrestricted.

Before sending anything back it is definitely best to confirm that you have a driver problem. Playing it in free-air does that because it drastically reduces the power requirements for full-excursion. I'd also check it with a different amp if you have one. It always pays to troubleshoot everything before shipping it back because as you say, the shipping gets expensive.

If you need to send it back, email me and I'll give you the return form to fill-out.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

[altahometheatre]

Kevin,

I sent you an email. I think there is something wrong with the sub. The rattle/knock seems to be getting worse.

I know you said videos do you no good, but I included two anyways. It may not help diagnose the problem, but at least you can tell me if I am testing the way you want. i am sure you will get more out of the videos than I will get by sending a bunch of sine waves to the sub.

Regards
Darryl

[robertcharles123]

altahometheatre wrote:

I have finally finished the Mal-X sub. I can say it has been amazing addition and filled the room with lots of powerful bass. I will post some final pictures later.

I have watched a few movies with spectacular results (ie Batman Returns & Master and Commander on bluray). Today I thought I would throw in War of the Worlds (DVD). The beginning scenes were great (lighting / pod emerging). I watched the clipping light (EP4000) to make sure no issues. I also set sound meter to catch maximum sound pressure (109 db). All was going great until the scene when pod first begins shooting. The sub made some sort of odd sound, like maybe at end of excursion???? Not sure what it was but sounded more mechanical than sound that should have been from movie. The sound lasts a few seconds and will occur at couple of times during that scenes when everyone is running away and the pod is shooting up the city. The subwoofer is moving in and out, but does not appear to be anything crazy like the videos that Kevin has put up.

Thinking that this might harm the sub, I started playing with SMS to see if I could change something to stop the sound. I raised the filter, changed the slope, used a flat curve, but nothing except lowering the volume on sms would remove the noise.

I have a couple of questions:
1) Although I did terrible job of attempting to describe this sound, is it maybe normal at this point in movie?
2) Is this damaging to sub?

I played Batman/Master at similar levels of volume and did not have any issues. I would hate to lower volume on sub just because of this one movie.

Thanks
Darryl

What kind of amp?

[Ricci]

Kevin Haskins wrote:

Yea... that would be the maximum. He could be hitting the voltage rails and clipping it or hitting the limits of the driver. Hard to know from this end.

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

It's most likely the amp clipping. I doubt the EP has enough juice to get the Mal-x into trouble (>35mm one way) at those frequencies in this alignment.

[Ricci]

Darryl,

Can you hear the clicking when the sub is in the enclosure? A lot of times these high excursion drivers do have some suspension/motor noises in free air. I've had subs with a sound similar to what you described that emanated from the spiders/landing, but otherwise didn't affect the driver performance when it was in an enclosure.

[altahometheatre]

Ricci wrote:

Darryl,

Can you hear the clicking when the sub is in the enclosure? A lot of times these high excursion drivers do have some suspension/motor noises in free air. I've had subs with a sound similar to what you described that emanated from the spiders/landing, but otherwise didn't affect the driver performance when it was in an enclosure.

I have been in contact with Kevin and sent him some videos. He believes something might have let loose in the suspension. He is going to send me a replacement.

This will not be new information to anyone who has followed the work that Kevin has done, but I want to reiterate that Kevin has again proven himself to be a fantastic person to do business with. In my case Kevin is not only backing his product but going the extra length to expedite the process and make it as simple as possible for me.

For anyone contemplating the purchase of a sub or related equipment, I can confidently recommend that you will not be disappointed dealing with Kevin. It is difficult to put a value on dealing directly with the companies owner, but when the owner cares about service and support, the value is immense.

Nobody wants to have issues, but stuff happens. How the "stuff" gets handled is where the lasting impression lies. I could tell stories of my dealings with BMW and why I will never buy another - but thats another thread. I can wait a little longer for another sub knowing that in the end I will be an extremely happy and satisfied customer. Thanks Kevin.

Regards
Darryl

[altahometheatre]

Kevin,

I received the new sub a few weeks ago but was traveling and I have not had a chance to reply. Everything worked out with the shipping as you stated and there were no surprises. Thanks very much for that.

I have installed the new sub. Being that it is now a Gen II, the wiring is slightly different but I found the install notes you have on your site very helpful. The new sub is working perfectly. I have watched a number of movies and am extremely happy. I have not pushed the sub as I want to have a number of hours of lighter break-in.

I have been having problems getting my three subs to work together properly. A can get a nice flat curve with the Mal-X, but when I add other two, they seem to do more harm than good. I am presently running with only the Mal-X as it certainly does not need any help. It is actually overkill in my small (11X17) room. I love that you can feel the bass even at low volumes.

I promise to post some pictures of the completed sub in a couple of days.

Darryl

[Kevin Haskins]

altahometheatre wrote:

Kevin,

I received the new sub a few weeks ago but was traveling and I have not had a chance to reply. Everything worked out with the shipping as you stated and there were no surprises. Thanks very much for that.

I have installed the new sub. Being that it is now a Gen II, the wiring is slightly different but I found the install notes you have on your site very helpful. The new sub is working perfectly. I have watched a number of movies and am extremely happy. I have not pushed the sub as I want to have a number of hours of lighter break-in.

I have been having problems getting my three subs to work together properly. A can get a nice flat curve with the Mal-X, but when I add other two, they seem to do more harm than good. I am presently running with only the Mal-X as it certainly does not need any help. It is actually overkill in my small (11X17) room. I love that you can feel the bass even at low volumes.

I promise to post some pictures of the completed sub in a couple of days.

Darryl

Thank you for the kind words Darryl. The bottom line with any installation, is you use what works best. If that is counter to the conventional wisdom, so be it. ;-)

Kevin Haskins
Exodus Audio

[Lonely Raven]

Darryl, do you have any finished box photos?